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tips, technology, tools and techniques related to vehicle driveline components

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tr8215
mike s

(6 posts)

Registered:
05/04/2021 12:54AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: tr8215
Date: May 04, 2021 12:59AM

Just bought this car. Motor was rebuilt by a reputable shop about 10 years ago but hardly used since. I have the receipts.

it sounds smooth and tight when you first start it. after it reaches temp you can start hearing lifter noise. it comes on slowly but gets steadily louder. wondering if this is normalish for these motors? is there a way to hook up an oil pressure gauge? any ideas short of digging into the motor?

thx!


88v8
Ivor Duarte
Gloucestershire UK
(1041 posts)

Registered:
02/11/2010 04:29AM

Main British Car:
1974 Land Rover Lightweight V8

Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: 88v8
Date: May 04, 2021 04:22AM

Hello and welcome.

A gauge can be attached via an adaptor at the oil switch .

Solid lifters? Look in the rocker box, are there adjuster screws on the rocker arms?

Ivor


tr8215
mike s

(6 posts)

Registered:
05/04/2021 12:54AM

Main British Car:
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: tr8215
Date: May 04, 2021 11:04PM

@88v8

Hydraulic lifters

gonna put a gauge on and see whats going on

anyone know the factory spec for oil pressure?
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88v8
Ivor Duarte
Gloucestershire UK
(1041 posts)

Registered:
02/11/2010 04:29AM

Main British Car:
1974 Land Rover Lightweight V8

Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: 88v8
Date: May 05, 2021 05:00AM

At 2,500rpm around 30-40psi hot.

Idle 10psi upwards.

I wonder what oil it has in. I run 20/50 in mine although that's a matter of debate amongst users.
A remote oil filter can drop the pressure, also the usual other things. Even a little thing like the oil pump cover gasket being too thick can make the pressure disappear, as I discovered some years ago.

Newish engine... I wonder if the cam was broken in properly at startup.

Annoying to have issues with your new car.

Ivor


MGBV8
Carl Floyd
Kingsport, TN
(4512 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 11:32PM

Main British Car:
1979 MGB Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: MGBV8
Date: May 05, 2021 08:08AM

I run 20W/50 in my 215, as well, Ivor.

Most definitely need a gauge to monitor hot oil pressure.


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6469 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: May 05, 2021 11:28AM

If the oil pressure is in the normal range my best guess is that lifter preload was set too light.

Jim


DiDueColpi
Fred Key
West coast - Canada
(1365 posts)

Registered:
05/14/2010 03:06AM

Main British Car:
I really thought that I'd be an action figure by now!

authors avatar
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: DiDueColpi
Date: May 06, 2021 09:19PM

Hi Mike, are you certain that its lifter noise?
These engines are prone to several...uhhhm... idiosyncrasies.
Is it multiple rapid ticking noises, or a single larger click, is it a harsher noise that comes on under load and disappears on deceleration? etc.
Give us your best description and we'll do our best to confuse the issue.

Live like you mean it.
Fred



tr8215
mike s

(6 posts)

Registered:
05/04/2021 12:54AM

Main British Car:
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: tr8215
Date: May 10, 2021 05:23PM

took some video..

the noise kicks in at 2:20 and comes on slowly.

[youtu.be]


second video is restarting the car the noise is more evident. also its hard to cranks when warmed so maybe timing is an issue?

[youtu.be]


last comment is the noise went away for a minute or two and then came back. i'm pretty baffled at this point. looked in the valve covers and there is not oil splashing around but there is a little oil in there.

bought a oil pressure gauge and will check that shortly. will T off of the oil pressure switch and see what type pressure its running.


88v8
Ivor Duarte
Gloucestershire UK
(1041 posts)

Registered:
02/11/2010 04:29AM

Main British Car:
1974 Land Rover Lightweight V8

Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: 88v8
Date: May 12, 2021 04:39AM

With the rocker boxes off, there should be oil seeping from each joint in the rocker gear. It is possible to assemble it wrong so it leaks too much oil or not enough.

It will be interesting to see what the pressure gauge shows.

That restart was not good. An awful lot of cranking. My 215 with Edelbrock 500 (still) not properly set up, restarts in about two turns.
If I stop and immediately restart, sometimes the first turn is slow because the compression has not bled down, but that video was spectacularly slow.

If it is lifter noise, they're not very loud. Do you have a mechanic's stethoscope, or failing that a long screwdriver, might be able to tie down the source a bit better.

Ivor


tr8215
mike s

(6 posts)

Registered:
05/04/2021 12:54AM

Main British Car:
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: tr8215
Date: May 17, 2021 06:07PM

uugh so frustrating ..... is the oil pressure switch somehow connected to the fuel pump? i was able to put a mechanical oil pressure gauge in and the car had 60psi. at fast idle. now the car wont start as its not getting fuel. had to remove the oil pressure switch to put the gauge in. should i have used a T ?

guess the fuel pump wont run if the oil pressure switch is not hooked up????


mstemp
Mike Stemp
Calgary, Canada
(222 posts)

Registered:
11/25/2009 07:18AM

Main British Car:
1980 MGB Rover 4.6L

Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: mstemp
Date: May 17, 2021 09:14PM

Yes so you don’t kill an engine with no oil pressure! 1980 Rover 3500 SD1 had the same setup. Big brother was watching out for all of us even back then.
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88v8
Ivor Duarte
Gloucestershire UK
(1041 posts)

Registered:
02/11/2010 04:29AM

Main British Car:
1974 Land Rover Lightweight V8

Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: 88v8
Date: May 18, 2021 03:51AM

As Mike says, that was the standard setup. The oil pressure switch lights the red warning light on the dash, and switches the fuel pump. The engine will run on the fuel in the float chamber(s) until the pressure builds, but in any case a healthy engine will trigger the switch just from cranking.
On my car, the pump feed was bypassed by a PO and I've never put it back.

If you have room for a T, that's the way to go.

60psi sounds promising. If you run the engine with the rocker boxes removed, you'll be able to see how much of that is leaking out of the rocker gear, and down onto the cam. Hopefully enough, but not too much.

Ivor


roverman
Art Gertz
Winchester, CA.
(3188 posts)

Registered:
04/24/2009 11:02AM

Main British Car:
74' Jensen Healy, 79 Huff. GT 1, 74 MGB Lotus 907,2L

Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: roverman
Date: May 19, 2021 07:27PM

I could be wrong, but standard oil pump and relief spring, 60 psi not too likely, especially warm. Cranking slowly/ intermittent,
too much spark advance, sometimes. Thrust limiter on cam is correct ? Enough lifter preload ?
Good Luck, Art.


bsa_m21
Martin Rothman
Vancouver, Canada
(216 posts)

Registered:
01/06/2009 11:41AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR7V8 Rover 3.9L

authors avatar
Re: 1980 TR8 215 lifter noise after warm up
Posted by: bsa_m21
Date: May 31, 2021 01:22PM

From what I could hear in the 2nd video, it sounds like tappet clicking to me. My '96 Discovery makes the exact same noise. This could be caused by too little lifter preload, sticking valves, worn cam lobe, crud in the oil passage way, etc. In my Discovery, its a worn cam that I haven't, yet, bothered to replace.

Just my 2- cents. :)

M.


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